Unlike those of the other possible candidates of the GOP establishment, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie, Romney's positions on gays have been more defined and extreme -- and more consistent and reiterated much more recently, especially since he veered far right in the primaries in 2012. Any change will be seen as a yet another major flip-flop.

We're used to hiding: hiding externally to protect ourselves from the hostility of others, and hiding in our own heads from reminders of a world that rejects us. But times have changed. President Obama has come out in support of us. We have to come out in support of ourselves, too.

You are going to ensure that my rights continue to be stripped away because you want to vote for the guy who has provided no clear economic plan and gets ripped apart by even fiscally conservative publications. Think about what a slap in the face that is.

Twenty-two percent of LGBT registered voters support Mitt Romney. I'm not in that 22 percent, but you are. I want to discuss a few issues to explain why I'm not, and why, even without knowing you, I believe it's against your and our country's interest for you to cast your vote for Romney.

We have a week left. Share your feelings with those who love you, and ask that they do the right thing. Tell them that the future they think Romney will give them comes at a cost, sadly. And it might not be their friends but their very children who ask for their money back.

In offering up their endorsement of Mitt Romney for president, the Log Cabin Republicans alleged that "as his record as Governor of Massachusetts suggests, [Romney] will not waste his precious time in office with legislative attacks on LGBT Americans." That assertion is wildly incorrect.

We've witnessed many Mitt Romneys, but the one unearthed yesterday is perhaps the most vicious and cruel: a zealot who, as governor, became hellbent on stigmatizing the children of gay and lesbian parents, labeling them outcasts and causing them to suffer hardship throughout their lives.

I feel sorry for every gay and questioning child who might have to listen to a potential president who believes he or she is not equal. It gives permission to every authority figure, every politician, every teacher, every bully on the playground to push you around. It is trickle-down bullying.

I'm not surprised that the Log Cabin Republicans have gone against the best interests of LGBT Americans in endorsing Mitt Romney. Responding to their rationalization would normally not be worth the time, but one of their attempts at self-justification deserves a response.

How did it come to be that lesbians and gays still have to contort themselves to fit into some straight mold? An undeniable factor is leadership. The LGBT community lives in a world that has been designed by and for straight people -- or straight white males.

The primary stumbling block between us is the fact that I am gay and Mitt is a Mormon. I know where his heart lies. I couldn't possibly vote for someone who might govern for his religion first and will never support my right to enjoy the freedoms that everyone in our country wishes for.

We must inform ourselves about who's running to represent us in our states and in our congressional districts -- and how they plan to vote on our rights once they take office. We must fight off disillusionment and apathy.

Mitt Romney has earned a well-deserved reputation as a flip-flopper -- changing his positions in whatever direction advances his career. But when it comes to LGBT issues, there's one thing you can always count on: Mitt Gets Worse.

Not only did Romney reaffirm his support for inequality after the president's announcement last week, stating that "marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman," but he recently reversed a statement he made on gay adoption.

Having gay friends doesn't absolve one of anti-gay prejudice any more than loving one's wife and daughters absolves one of defunding Planned Parenthood. Even if you'd be happy to have gay people over to dinner, that doesn't give you a pass to deny them fundamental rights.